Hakuna Matata!

Interesting Tanzania fact - people here actually say "hakuna matata", and it actually means "no worries." Surprisingly, a lot of the phrases from "The Lion King" are actually useful Swahili words - Simba is lion, Pumbaa means fat, and asante sana (from Rafiki's song) means thank you very much. See, my Swahili is improving already! I'd say that the phrase "hakuna matata" exemplifies the attitude of most of the Tanzanian people that I've met so far. Despite living in circumstances that would make many westerners cringe, the vast majority of people that I've met have proven to be very mellow. I'm hoping to learn some of that attitude - especially since I'm ready to pull my hair out right now on account of the fact that the power has cut out twice while I've been writing this. Power shortages (and water shortages) are a way of life here, and they definitely take some getting used to.

Last night, I went to an African music and dance show. It was absolutely incredible... it was drums, a xylophone, and dancers. I think all of the CCS volunteers realized exactly how uncoordinated white people really are when they invited us up to dance with them. It's very true to say that white people cannot dance.

Yesterday, I also experienced my first African market. Wednesdays are market days in the Tengaru market, and the usually quiet village comes alive with people selling everything from fruit to machetes. I was slightly unnerved to see 12" knives just laying out in the sun, ready to be bought - but it seems that most people were there to buy food and cloth. It's quite common to see men here walking around carrying machetes; there is a great deal of farming in this area. I know that it's a useful farming implement, but seeing a guy walking down the street with a large knife in his belt serves are a very good reminder that I'm definitely not in North America anymore.

In about 10 minutes, I'm off to go participate in some home visits to AIDS patients with the WAMATA staff, so I must end this now. I apologize for the lack of pictures on the blog - the internet cafe here doesn't have the capacity for me to upload pictures, apparently.